A woman with more than 170 previous convictions has been sentenced to two years in prison after chasing people with a kitchen knife near Swansea's High Street railway station, racially abusing a police officer, and being found in possession of counterfeit money and stolen bank cards.
Details of the Offences
Katie Kelshaw, 37, formerly of Matthew Street, Dyfatty, but now of Oystermouth Road, Swansea, pleaded guilty to possession of a knife, public disorder, handling stolen goods, racially aggravated disorderly behaviour, and racially aggravated harassment. The court heard that on May 11 this year, police received a 999 call about a fight on Tontine Street near the railway station involving a person in a red coat wielding a knife. Kelshaw was seen chasing people and running around parked cars while brandishing a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade.
She was arrested later that day following a disturbance on St Helen's Road and was placed in a spit hood. At Swansea Central police station, she racially abused an officer, saying he had “come over here on boats like the rest of them.” A strip search revealed a fake £20 note and three bank cards in other people's names hidden in her bra.
Previous Criminal Record
Swansea Crown Court heard that Kelshaw has 85 previous convictions for 172 offences between 2003 and 2026, including robbery, assaults, drug possession, assaulting police officers, and shoplifting. Prosecutor Joseph Hocquard noted that there are “no significant gaps in offending save for when she is in custody.” She had been released from prison on licence for an eight-month sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm in January 2026 and committed the new offences within days of release.
Additional Incident
On July 15, Kelshaw caused a disturbance at Topoli's pizza and kebab takeaway on St Helen's Road, racially abusing staff and spitting at people because her order of chips was taking too long. When police arrived, she ran off but was chased and caught. She tried to spit at arresting officers, requiring another spit hood, and then racially abused a female officer.
Defence and Sentencing
Defence barrister Stuart John said Kelshaw had been out of prison for only about a week, sofa surfing with no permanent home. He stated she had replaced a crack cocaine addiction with alcohol and had little recollection of the offences due to intoxication. He described her as “polite and courteous” when sober but a different person when drunk.
Judge Huw Rees noted the defendant's 29-page antecedent record and said the people of Swansea were “fed up” with her offending. He rhetorically asked what foreigners would think of arriving in Wales to find people running around with knives. With one-third discounts for her guilty pleas, Kelshaw was sentenced to two years in prison, serving up to half before release on licence.
